The Way Life Is
by LavenderTinted
Summary: Temari's and Shikamaru's thoughts as they fought each other for the first time. One-Shot


**Title:** The Way Life Is  
**Rating:** PG  
**Description:** Temari's and Shikamaru's thoughts as they fought each other for the first time. One-Shot  
**Author's Notes: **I have to say that I'm taking a break from writing humor stories, many depressing things have passed. I have no energy to write something funny, so I decided to improve my writting in to something more serious. I suddenly became inspired and just had to write this, I'll probebly keep it as a one-shot.

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**The Way Life Is**

Temari was disappointed.

It seemed that her first match in the finals would be against a weak little boy, a boy who refused to fight her. Her brother forfeited and Temari was deciding wether she should do the same thing, the war was soon to start. But she could feel the blood running in her veins, a desperate need to fight. Her heart pumped, today would be the day the treaty would be broken and she needed to release this nervous energy. Her mind was made up, she put her hand on the rail and jumped down.

She looked at the boy, who was pushed. He screamed as he fell, he was right to fear her. She smirked as she heard the audience booed at their match, too bad they would be disappointed, Temari knew this match wouldn't last long. She took her fan out of her sash and let it smash down on the ground, she was trying to intimidate him. But he did nothing, he turned his head up and looked at her, an annoyed look on his face. Temari sighed, this wouldn't be much of a warm-up, much less a fight, so she decided to take the initiative and try to make this match at least enjoyable.

The referee looked surprised at her sudden movement, he yelled at her telling that the match hadn't started yet, like hell she'd listen to him. Shikamaru didn't even need to look up, he could hear her running footsteps toward him. He took out two kurnai and began to wonder why he was always paired up against girls. Everybody knew that guys couldn't hit girls, and yet a guy couldn't lose to one. Shikamaru had pride and was a man, no way a girl would defeat him. He lifted him self up against the wall, as he watched her slam her fan where he was just a second ago. He smirked, she was cocky and thought he would be defeated easily. This would be her downfall.

And so the match began, Temari dodged his shadow. She had to admit that she didn't expect him to run off like a coward and hide. This would be boring, all she had to do was swing her fan and the chakra filled wind would kill him. Shikamaru blinked, he was surprised to be against a girl like her, he was stuck in the trees. If he moved he would get struck by her controlling wind. She too thought about her actions. She wasn't like the other girl he was up against, with this one, he need some quite time to think.

The crowd turned quiet.

Shikamaru put his fingers is a familiar form and thought deeply. No one said a word, trying to figure out what seal he was doing. Even Temari dared not to attack, she was captivated by the sigh in front of her. His eyes than opened and her eyes locked on his. She began to become frightened at his serious eyes, as if he knew she had no chance at all. But she hid it and taunted him, she griped her fan tightly before unravelling it.. She would not fail against a leaf ninja, especially one three years younger than her. She lifted her fan and attacked with all her strength.

Shikamaru was not surprised, he knew she had great insight when she dodged his shadow. In fact he expected it from her, she was so centered on his shadow that she didn't even see the balloon-like figure above her. That is until her brother warned her. He caught her off guard, this was his whole plan to win, Temari never thought a guy like him could come up with a plan this creative.

Damn it, he was so close. He quickly went to plan B, but he wasn't so sure if it would work. His original plan would have worked if someone didn't interfere. He became annoyed that he had to think up of another plan quickly and use up more energy than needed. He felt him-self sweat as he desperately tried to move her towards the trap. This one had better worked, he already used up more chakra than needed.

It did worked. Temari felt the cold shadow touch her and crawl up her spine, but she never expected him to succeed and thought it was just the wind. She stared at him in an unbelievable look on her face, she didn't even feel angry when he mocked her smirk. He then moved and so did she, Shikamaru watch in amusement as she in vain tried to struggle against his shadow. Temari now felt like an idiot, who could she have lost to this boy?

She lost. Now she would be no use in the upcoming battle, she would be left behind to die by her sensei and brothers, they had no need for her. She was weak to lose against a leaf. She regretted fighting him now, she wished that she listened to her brother and forfeited. But it was to late now. She dread each step she took, what would he do now? All she could was watch in defeat and awaited the fate that would soon come.

Shikamaru watch the conflicting emotions on her face, she didn't even try to hide it. As they reach face to face, she closed her eyes as if expecting him to hit her. He wasn't some sick guy who took pleasure in hitting girls, all he wanted to prove that a girl could never defeat a guy. It was stereotypical, but that was how he was raised and the number one rule was to never hit a girl. He rather lose than break this rule that his father emphasized greatly to never break, he never understood why, but now he did. Either way he was going to forfeit, his life had no room for more responsibility, he bearly even had time to watch the clouds.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the audience enthralled into the fight and waited for him to attack. He was disgusted, if this is what he had to do, then he rather not become a Chunnin. So he gave up and he lost. The audience was disappointed, but the thoughts of other people never mattered to him. No one understood why he gave up except Asuma, Chouji and even the referee finally understood both the reason. In a way it all worked out, he didn't have to hit her and also not become a chunnin, he showed that he could have defeated her, but didn't and technically lost. So they couldn't appoint him as a Chunnin.

The boy, Shikamaru, as she now remembered his name, was speaking to her. She wasn't listening, but instead her body tensed and then she was set free. She looked at him in utter disbelief, but he looked up in a lazy fashion and stared at the clouds. He let his mind drift and didn't think about the fan-girl again, he'd surely never see her again. The winner was announced and shakily she walked back to where her brothers were at, one glance at Garaa's haunting face and she remembered what was soon to happen. Temari did not feel any guilt or remorse that Kohona would soon fall, but she did wounder if she would ever see him again.

He intrigued her.

_To Be Continued...?_


End file.
